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Mirumoto Umeka
Mirumoto Umeka, “the Crane of the Mountains”, Imperial Histories, p. 122 was the Mirumoto Daimyo under the rule of the Dragon Clan Champion Togashi Toshimasa. Ancestry Umeka was born the daughter of a Mirumoto father and a Daidoji mother, who died when Umeka was in her teens. She was an accomplished duelist and dyed her hair white to honor her mother. Imperial Histories, p. 121 Secret Lover Umeka was betrothed to a minor Dragon nobleman of considerable wealth. Before she married Umeka spent two years in the Imperial Legions, in the Phoenix lands. She met with a handsome young Phoenix samurai named Shiba Moriaki, and the couple fell in love. Their romance was cut when Umeka's father died and she was recalled to marry and take up the position of Mirumoto daimyo. Several years later Moriaki became the Phoenix Clan Champion. Imperial Histories, p. 122 Since then the Phoenix was a real ally of the Dragon, largely due to the public friendship, and secret love affair, between Umeka and Moriaki. Imperial Histories, p. 109 Great Famine The Great Famine suffered in the Empire forced many Dragon refugees to leave their mountains to cross the Drowned Merchant River, entering in the Lion lands. Akodo Masaumi, son of the Lion Clan Champion, was sent to Shiro Mirumoto in 662, where he got an audience with Toshimasa. The meeting went wrong when Toshimasa did not acknowledge Masaumi. The Dragon Champion had retired in meditation since 661 and no one of his guests had got a word from him. Imperial Histories, pp. 100-101 Acting Champion Toshimasa sent a cryptic letter to Umeka, who frustrated took the control of his Clan and quickly assembled the Mirumoto Army. Masaumi crossed the border with the Lion Clan Army and attacked, which marked the start of the Dragon-Lion War. He was confronted by Umeka in the Battle of Drowned Merchant River, which was indecisive. The conflict escalated when Moriaki sent forth the Shiba House Guard to aid the Dragon. Imperial Histories, p. 101 Peace agreement In the last weeks of the year a truce, and later a peaceful agreement was arranged. Umeka publicly apologized for failing to deal with the refugees on her own, and the Phoenix agreed to give refuge to any Dragon who cross into their lands. Imperial Histories, pp. 101-102 Lover's death In 663 Moriaki was forced by the Emperor Hantei XX to commit seppuku for his failure to maintain under control the City of Suffering, which had been recovered from revolters by the Imperial Legions. Imperial Histories, p. 103 They had managed to arrange a handful of covert visits over the course of twenty years, and Umeka's third son was actually Moriaki's. Starvation In 664 the Emperor Hantei XX held his winter court at Shiro Mirumoto, to see with his own eyes meditating Toshimasa The few food reserves of the Dragon were depleted to feed the guests, leading in starvation of many peasants and ji-samurai over the winter. The called People's Legion, an army of commoner revolters already had seized several Dragon villages, being Umeka forced to keep quiet, too weak to react. Imperial Histories, p. 104 Rebuilding the Clan In 665 the revolutionaries were destroyed, and the famine was stand off due to several successful harvests. Imperial Histories, p. 105 The Dragon was lack of manpower, so Umeka eventually granted fealty to any ronin or ashigaru, and used them as expendable forces to clean out her lands from bandits. Stepping Down Since Moriaki's death Umeka had her heart broken. Eight years from the event, Umeka retired to a monastery and handing the rule of the family to her eldest (and legitimate) son. See also * Mirumoto Umeka/Meta Category:Members of the Brotherhood of Shinsei Category:Dragon Clan Leaders